sticksandbones | EVENT & TDM 022

EVENT & TDM 022

WAKE UP

Being out in the woods is, for some people, an ordinary day. You may or may not be one of those people — you almost certainly don’t remember going camping, do you? — and yet you emerge from a tent and think to yourself, hm, that’s quite odd! Where is the nearest civilization anyhow? If you’re brave enough, perhaps you set out to seek it, walking toward where you think you hear noise in the far distance. It sounds a bit like cheering. A party? A bonfire? You can’t be certain, not at first.

As you step onto the worn trail, something nearly clocks you right in the head. A nimble dodge to the left and a quick glance at the ground tells you that it’s some kind of tree branch made of… flesh? It’s certainly flesh-textured, though the colour is a deep blue that glows white. It seems to be rapidly rotting into the ground, and as you look up… a giant, several hundred foot tree of a similar eldritch makeup is falling apart before your eyes. Your walk back to civilization will be full of dodging probably-dead flesh tree bits.

Should you make it in one piece, the source of the noise becomes obvious: the people making up this small town are cheering and yelling about something else of eldritch makeup. It seems that some of the creatures who have lived in this civilization’s river for the last year, the Seaborn, have decided to evolve to be capable of flight. Some residents of this town seem extremely enthusiastic with this. Some are wary. Some simply don’t care.

You? Well, that’s for you to decide.

Welcome to the eldritch horror fae woods, dear friend. Enjoy your stay.

A SNAKE IN THE GRASS

While the black fog returns, some paths are left clear, or at least not as impacted as other areas of the woods. Mist fades in and out, and even if you aren’t one for nature, surely exploration can sing its siren song when the size of the town is too small and all the faces look the same. Paths line themselves with daffodils and chamomile flowers, with arctic poppies and clearings of wildflowers- foxglove and lavender especially prominent. They’re lovely, all of them, and bloom far more rapidly than anything else should be this early into spring, this late into winter, but they do.

But something creeps beneath the flowers, and something large digs through the earth, leaving upturned grooves in the dirt and grass, trails of flattened mud and roots with only bushes of camelia on the outskirts left behind. It’s quiet in the forest, not even birds singing. It makes the hiss of tongues all the more noticeable.

If you’re lucky, you might see a purple and grey stone shift in the distance, gone just as quickly as it was there. If you aren’t, you don’t see its much smaller, flower-patterned counterpart strike from the shadows. Snakes are working their way into the Grove, hiding in bushes and under steps, anywhere they can lurk and strike the unsuspecting, and their bite is venomous.

One bite brings excruciating pain, bone-deep cold, an increased frailty of the body and hallucinations. A second bite brings a deep, nightmare-filled sleep. A third bite brings death. All of them scar with a black sun over the bites, a mark of divine wrath — the Fallen Sun sends his regards, and his hate.

Those who perish to the snake bite will awaken in their bed in a few days, feeling nauseous and weakened, but…

'NEATH SERPENT'S GAZE

… This simply isn’t tenable. Between the paranoia and the snake’s stealth, it’s hard to feel safe outside of your home, and maybe inside, despite the fact that once again your homes offer refuge from the forest’s attacks—they hadn’t once upon a red, hot summer, after all. How did they face this last time? It was a flower, wasn’t it? And the new flowers in the forest seem special, if only because of their strong growth compared to the rest of the forest.

But if you go into the woods, two large stone snakes wait, ready to protect the natural gardens. Breaking them does little but slow them down for a time, and their bite is both larger and their venom stronger—the true version, the one that crippled a household in seconds. The severity of the symptoms are worse, murderously so, but survivable if it’s not the third bite.

They block the way, ambush would-be travelers, coil around the flower patches, and will not be stopped. Does this confirm that the flowers could help? Or are they simply protective of their master’s property? Is it play?

Regardless, they wait and watch.

CITIES & BONES

When all the violence of the month ends, and thank goodness for that, you decide to head to bed. For once, you might sleep well — there are no threats of snakes making you wonder if you or your friends might die tomorrow, and the Grove as a whole feels much safer. It’s as if someone or something is guarding over it — different from the Guardian Deities and the Goddesses as a whole.

For the next several days after the snakes disappear, your dreams are strange, as if you’re receiving a vision from another world. A modern city, so different from Aldric’s Grove that you’re not entirely convinced it lies in this dimension, blinks in neon lights behind your eyelids. Between the cacophonous sounds of motorized vehicles rushing by, the din of people talking in a language you don’t understand, and the distant electrical humming from the street lights, perceptive dreamers might hear something else:

The soft clacking of dry bones.

Spark Notes

summary

Wake up: You were apparently camping. You don't recall this. As you head out toward the sound of civilization, bits of giant blue flesh-tree nearly hit you in the head. You'll have to dodge the remaining flesh tree bits as it crumbles while you walk back to town.

A Snake In The Grass: Flowers spring up far too early in the season, and the fog wall returns. Purple and grey-coloured stone snakes begin to attack from the bushes and flowers where they're hidden. One bite brings cold and frailty, a second bite brings nightmares, and a third bite brings death. All bites scar with a mark of the Black Sun.

'Neath Serpent's Gaze: You've heard of a flower that can cure the poison, but to get there, you have to face two far larger stone snakes who are guarding over nature here. Whether they want to play or simply kill isn't clear. You're in danger of death either way.

Cities & Bones: While you sleep after the snakes disappear, you'll have strange dreams that feel like visions and feel watched by something safe and kindly. While your dreams are absorbed in that of a cityscape that feels almost too real, you can sometimes hear the clattering of bones.

out of character

Welcome to March's TDM and Event! Spring is springing and we've got a lot of really cool events coming up in the next few months. The magic system should debut this month as well, which we're very excited about. It is a slow process but the rewards should be well worth it.

updates

Any potential updates, such as characters damaging something important or whatever else, will be put here.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ March Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

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[He doesn't know what to do, now.

He wants to leave. Make no mistake, he's been trying to think of a way to slip out of Mephisto's grasp this entire time, and maybe if he just got bored and left that would have been fine...but now he's going to charge into the forest and probably die to some giant snake, and Till mentally isn't sure he's able to cope with that sort of thing.

He watches Mephisto for a moment, his expression tense and unreadable.]

Then let me show you what I've seen. I don't expect you to trust me, because I don't trust anybody here.

It's something you have to see with your own eyes to believe it.

[Ain why would he EVER want to get on that thing, it looks like it could kill him with one swift kick to the head (not incorrect, but also).]

U-uh.

[She's also. Beeg....

Tentatively...offers her his hand? Please don't bite him-]

[Till's getting reeeal tired of being bossed around...but he's still woozy and tired enough that he just lets the 'tude slide, for now. Bakugo did help him all the way here, even if it's humiliating to be the one coming in with a bloodied nose.

Sorry Lily this is what happened when you left the boys alone for five minutes.]

[ ...

Alright. He supposes that'll work. Win-win all around, really. ]

Stick close to me, then. I seem to have a knack for finding these pests.

I mean, I am already makin' eggs, angel. Do you like 'em any specific kind of way, or should I just make 'em how I like 'em if you can't decide?

[Like Ezell please]

You can do that sorta thing if you planned ahead, yeah. But I didn't do that. I just woke up too early and decided I was gonna fry a fuckin' egg.

[Tail flick]

[That sounds ominous. Min-Gi is quick to nod, straightening up so they can head back.]

Right. Don't want to wait around for more snakes.

[Vash pulls away suddenly and Wolfwood just smirks, keeping that hand loose while the other goes into his pocket.]

Yeah, so? She's a woman now, you don't know what crimes she's committed.

[You guys remember you're talking about a dog, right.]

The bar?

[A bar can definitely be dangerous, but something about that explanation doesn't sound right.]

Your abilities don't work here?

[It really speaks to how out of it he is that he barely reacts to being nudged over. If he he ends up with his feet in Ain's lap, he's unaware of it. ~~Should've sat on the other side tbh~~

He does still have the awareness to make a face at Ain's offer, though.]

Eugh.

Dynamo... re-calibrate and reduce synchronization to twenty percent.

[The drones emit a string of beeps, then arrange themselves more neatly off to the side... it's gonna take a few minutes to adjust to the mind-rending poison affecting their server, but why would he need Ain to do anything for him when that's Dynamo's job, huh???

Aside from any tasks that might need thumbs, which is a lot of them... but is it worth his pride? Absolutely not. He will die on this hill.]

[For that, Bakugo gets slapped with Wolfwood's tail. No warning, no explanation, just a whack across his knees. It's easy enough to explain as an involuntary accident, but how should he know? He's soooo olddddddd.]

Just make sure you don't burn the toast. I ain't gonna get blamed for smokin' in the Inn again.

[Till is definitely going to be wondering, as he walks into the dark woods with Mephisto, if this was a good idea after all. No time to take it back now.

He starts forward, and though he will stay close to Mephisto's side, he's also obviously leading the way in a way that suggests he has walked down this path before.

It's silent as they go, for what it's worth.]

[Shh, shh... can't go full gay shit on the first reunion! (Or can they, hmm...)

Ain does not mind being used as a footrest for once in his life, especially because this gives him the opportunity to re-check the wound just to make sure. Mmm... doesn't look that bad, but he'll attempt another cursory poison-removal heal (that will not work) just in case.]

Wow! Good luck getting up on your own to find food and water, then~.

[Dachie, who is sitting Very Good off to the side, looks at Add with his big ol eyes and then trundles off into the next room. When he comes back, he's dragging a blanket behind him, which he helpfully throws over Add's stomach in a heap like!! helping!!]

...oh, if you hear any noises while you're here, I do have housemates. Try to be on your best behaviour, okay?

[ Tag...? Oscar offers Ala a smile that's a mix of worried, exasperated, amused—but mostly resigned. ]

I'm also pretty fast. What did you have in mind?

[ Yeah, Oscar knows reluctance when he sees it. He gives Min a reassuring smile. ]

You don't need to come with me. I can go alone if you just point me in the right direction.

[Sesa is quiet...just for a moment.

Then he continues, calmly.]

I said I wasn't here to fight you. ...but can the same be said for you?

[His tail lashes again, whipping at the mist around them.]

If I leave, can I trust you aren't going to leave this building and hurt someone out there?

i. wake up

( this is not the estate. this is... not the grounds surrounding it either.

not enough nooses and nothing's on fire. none of the ciphers are around, and he can't feel the dread of a hunter nearby. what is there is- uh.

sidney balks at the blobby... creature flying through the air. what the fuck? what the fuck.

the more that he looks around, the stranger things feel, and he's deliberately not looking at that weird tree more than he needs to, he has experienced enough of the horrors. but in the distance he can see lights, so- it's got to be something close to civilization there, right?

he looks down at the flare gun in his hand. ... better not waste it. he starts moving. )

ii. serpentine

( ah, there's the danger. sidney was almost starting to miss it. rumors float about weird flowers being key to at least abetting the pain of venomous bites, and while he's never seen a snake bite do this much damage, he's always been a man of the people- and as a tracker and a marksman, he might be one of the best to have around for something like this.

he's got a decent bunch stored, a healthy variety, but then he hears it- the scrape of stone against the earth and underbrush, the hiss- but the greater stone snake isn't going for him.

it's as the beast bares it's fangs that sidney aims and fires a flare right into it's gemstone eye. )

Run!

iii. the work's never done

( by the time he makes it back to the grove, sidney's tired. he's got a bushel of flowers he does not know who to bring them to, a couple less flares, and a weird book. ... thing probably would'a been useful at the estate.

logic says he should rest. he came straight out of a hunter's game to this place, and immediately got to work... but rest is something that doesn't come easy to him, and there's still more to do. you can find the man

a. at the clinic or labs, dropping off the flowers to whoever may best make use of them.

b. in the archives, going over too many types of records to name while taking notes in a personal notebook.

c. going over said notes at the inn lobby.

please, sid, take a fucking break. )

iv. wildcard

( got an idea? hit me up! sidney is an original character largely inspired by identity v and as such some terms and concepts may be similar, but he and his are largely their own thing by now. he is a police detective from prohibition era new orleans, though he's highly disillusioned with his fellow officers. despite this and his freakish stoicism, sidney's very gentle with a heart of gold! he's also a workaholic. help him.

also sorry for the lack of icons. )

I don't think you should be going alone.

[What would Min actually do if they did encounter trouble? Questionable, but it's got to beat leaving him by himself.]

[ The silence is appreciated. Though he doesn't hold onto Till's hand anymore in a threatening and unsettling way anymore, he does still opt to hold onto the hem of Till's shirt, pinching it and helping it keep him somewhat more stabilized. From the hollow "thunks" Mephisto makes with every footstep, Till can probably deduce that both his legs are fucked up somehow. The long socks of his are covering up the prosthetics, though. Regardless, it means they're not going to go very fast. This seems to be able the fastest he can move, actually, since if Till ever tries to speed up, he'll just get a tug against his shirt to pull him back.

He's still diligent about the snakes in the grass, too. He's keeping his word and adjusting himself as needed to keep himself between Till and them, doing various things to stop them. Stomping on them, flinging them with his crutch, or just outright tugging on Till. ]

[He’ll blame it on the disoriented, groggy feeling in his head that he’s still trying to shake off in addition to the migraine splitting his head into fourths. Somewhere along the way towards the signs of life he could pick up in the distance, Aventurine had wandered juuuust enough into the underbrush to get the tails of his coat snagged on the greenery. It takes a bit to free himself, long enough that he’d begun to worry about making himself something of an obvious, noisy target.

He does eventually yank clear of the imprisonment, and brushing down his clothing with the palms of his hands elects to keep moving as quickly as possible. He half-stumbles between two trees, out towards the clearer trails…

…And directly, it seems, into the pathway of an armed individual. Immediately he holds his hands up to show his palms, a sheepish look on his face.]

I take it you got lost out here same as me, friend? It’s been… Quite the morning.

[Three boyfriends and a Flamebringer :)

Yeah. He actually likes the sound of that.

And he likes this, too, he's realizing. Because when Flamebringer pushes against him and exhales smoke against his lips, Wolfwood parts his own to breathe it in deep, the action feeling oddly practiced and easy.

You know what else he'll do? He'll take the opportunity of being as close as they are to close the gap, pressing their lips together for just a brief moment, long enough to feel the warmth of the others' mouth before he draws back and nips at Flamebringer's bottom lip, tugging it before letting go.

WHAT are you GAY for.]

I ain't gonna stop bein' a cock anytime soon, so you'd best get used to it.

[His lips quirk in something of a smile as he pulls back just enough to take a breath of clear air.]

I'll be back to kickin' your ass tomorrow. You get a freebie, today.

[ Flatly: ] You sound like старик Flamebringer.

[ He sighs. ] What will you take as trust? Will you believe me at my word? "Oh yes, a~bsolutely! I'll definitely not hurt anyone!" Does that work for you?

And what will you do if I can't? Kill me?

[Till doesn't know what to make of the way Mephisto is holding on to the edge of his shirt, but he doesn't stop him. The duality of his moods is so strange to him...one moment he's off his hinges, and the next he's silent and holding onto him like his true age. But, it's not like Till can't judge whatever behavior he's exhibiting. He's seen...much worse, admittedly.

So. They'll walk in silence, with Till walking as slowly as he needs to so that Mephisto isn't left behind. It does mean that their walk is going to be very slow, like definitely hours (to them) of walking, but it was always going to be. Hours of walking in silence through the dark, foreboding trees, with snakes trying to attack them at every turn. By some miracle, neither of them get bitten, though they do experience a few close calls...it's hard not to, in a forest this dense and thick.

But eventually...eventually. The Fog Wall looms, as it was always going to.]

And leave you here?!

[ At least the snakes' attention is split, but it's a little tricky to run away with a handful of dirt and flowers. Oscar is managing to weave his way through the trees, favoring gaps that the snake will be too large to squeeze through. But it's not enough to stop the snake, and sometimes it barrels straight through the obstacles. It is, however, slowing it down enough for Oscar to gain a modicum of ground.

He's already not keen on the idea of leaving Vash behind, and the sound of that scream is enough to settle it for him. He does his best to pick out a landmark, then throws aside the flowers and grabs his cane instead. He doubles back, a maneuver that actually does foul up the giant snake for a moment. But rather than using this opportunity to run away, Oscar uses it to instead run directly at the snake attacking Vash and jump on its back.

Oscar already knows that he can't actually damage these things—not without busting out magic he doesn't want to use—but maybe he can get them to tangle themselves up in each other long enough for them to make a break for it. ]

Tch. I'll manage...

[Confident, despite the circumstances. It makes him think of... before joining the El Search Party, when it was just him and his dynamos. Travelling hundreds of years into the future left his body unprepared for modern illnesses. He had no one else to rely on, no one who would even notice or care if he died out in the wilderness... when he did get sick, it felt like it could be the end. A lonely, terrifying blur.

A couple times, he woke up in strangers' homes. People who took pity on him. Thought he was just a stupid kid who went camping with a fever, or passed out on the way from another town... people who acted kind and selfless, but whose motives he couldn't determine. Made him feel vulnerable. Scared. At the first opportunity, he'd have to run. He couldn't risk it, finding out what they wanted from him, if they were planning to let him go at all.

He shivers, a small weight thrown onto his waist by... by someone? Something about... noises, housemates. The words wobble in his mind, like everything is made of jelly. Right, there... there's housemates, so he should plan around that. Getting caught would escalate things. He can't get caught. Has to play his cards carefully, or...]

... 'll be quiet. How... how many are there?

There's not really a need to be quiet. That's not what I meant.

[Hm... mood drop clocked, but he assumes that's due to the poison more than anything. As he sits there sort of idly drawing circles into Add's leg and staring out the window ahead, not paying much mind to anything other than the relative, snake-free peace... he has an internal debate with himself.

Does he tell Add. About his entire love life.

...

It's going to be really hard to explain why Ezell is kissing him on the mouth if Add sees it, and he doesn't say anything in forewarning. But also. But ALSO.

...

Hoo. Okay.]

Two people. One is Mr. Demon, [please Add be better than Ain, do not call Flamebringer demon it's a slur,] who lives in the room on the righthand side of the hallway we just came down. The room on the top lefthand side is mine, and the one on the bottom left is Ezell's. [Oh, that's a name.] ...Ezell is my boyfriend, and Mr. Demon is his fiancé.

[what]

You can stay here, though! It's better than sleeping alone at the inn, right? And I'm not in Ezell's bed every night anyway~. [this is leaving out 3/4ths of the boyfriends, too.]

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Page 23 of 58

EVENT & TDM 022

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sidney wolfe | original | old player, new character

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I. Wake Up!

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